Welcome the Night
by letgolaughing
Summary: Regina finds she has a little shadow one night and is happy to find the father doesn't mind in the slightest. Rating will change ;)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This story isn't going to be a long one; I only have three chapters planned for it and it is just for fun and a little bit of an OQ fix before I go back to my other stories :) I hope you enjoy it! And please, pretty please, leave s review letting me know what you think :)**

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Tired of the incessant back and forth over what to do with the kingdom, Regina decided it was best she slipped away before she skewered them all and began roasting them over a fire. So leave she did. Silently and smoothly so that no one would really notice. Once she was in the hall she took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she began walking down it and took her time.

She pulled her dark blue cloak around her shoulders a little more to ward off the evening chill as she looked out in to the deep blue sky. The stars were starting the come out and the sun had just disappeared below the horizon which had the brilliant colours of the sunset fading away in to different shades of blue before it all went black.

Her fitted coat was a dark navy blue and it's lapels were lined with small jewels embroidered on black silk trim. Black trim that matched the silk covered buttons keeping it closed around her waist. Beneath it she wore a black leather corset with a low sweetheart neckline. Then of course a pair of signature black leather pants and a pair of black heels. What animal the fur was from that added warmth to the shoulders of her cape she couldn't remember but it was thick and yet very sleek and very soft. The cloak itself was heavy and warm and trailed behind her on the floor for at least two feet. Perhaps even two and a half. Her long dark hair was twisted up off her neck and her eyes were lined with precise black lines while her lips were coloured a dark red that was closer to burgundy than a true red.

She was angry and she was heartbroken. Not a promising combination by any means. The apparent addition to a member of her disappearing family was not exactly comforting either considering she was out for her head. She supposed it wasn't all that different from some sisterly love. Out for one another's blood. She found little delight in the news however. Not even the desire to rip her heart out of her green chest seemed to spark a burning fire in her anymore.

She had changed more than she liked to admit.

And she missed Henry. She felt hollow without him and he was _always_ occupying her mind.

She lifted her head a little higher and was brought from her thoughts at the soft pitter patter of running feet. When she stopped and looked over her shoulder she found there was no one there. So she shrugged it off and straightened her neck as she proceeded walking forward. She made it not four steps before she heard the steps once again and looked over her shoulder once again, twisting her body a little to get a better look and took her time studying the dark hallway.

Scanning her eyes one last time suspiciously over the area, she slowly straightened herself and began walking again. She didn't make it very far at all before she heard a small and very quiet giggle come from behind her that had her stopping once more and looking back over her shoulder. This time she waved her hand and the hallway sprung to life and the cold blue of the night was matched with the warm glow of orange fire she sent to hover up in the air like a miniature sun.

Still she saw nothing and no one. Perhaps it was coming from another room. She felt no threat so she looked back ahead of her and continued on her path. She made it nearly to the other end of the hall before she heard another quiet giggle. She stopped again, frustrated now as she looked over her shoulder only to see no one. It wasn't like there was anything to hide behind in this particular hall either, "who is there?" She called with a dangerously low voice.

At the sound of more quiet giggling she dropped her eyes down to her cloak and cocked her head ever so slightly. She stood there with her body turned just enough to watch the lump move beneath her cloak directly behind her. She was scowling at it until a particular brunette child popped his head out with the widest of grins. Those dimples instantly had her face relaxing in to a gentle smile as he held the side edge of her blue cloak around his neck and shoulders.

"What are you doing?" She smiled and couldn't stop the small bounce of laughter that entered her quiet voice.

"Sneaking," he answered with a grin and twisted back and forth at the hips in a swaying motion.

Regina hummed a single laugh and the corners of her mouth curled just a little higher as she crouched down to his level, spinning on her toes a little so she was facing him. "You were doing a very good job," she smiled and tapped his nose with her fingertip, eliciting a laugh out of him that had her smile growing to show her teeth.

"I like your cloak," he smiled as he swivelled his hips a little and looked down at it draping over his toes.

"Why thank you," she smiled and soaked in the precious innocence and naïveté that only a young child could posses. That special gift to see people as people and not as their actions or mistakes or titles. "Does your father know where you are?" She asked quietly with a smile and a cock of her head and Roland shrugged his shoulders with a sly laugh through his smile.

"Prob'ly not," he drew out and put on his best innocent face.

Regina hummed softly in a gently scorning tone but it didn't faze the boy much and he rocked forward a little on his toes and grinned up at her in excitement and joy, "what?"

...

"Roland!" he called in a sharp whisper as he checked every nook and cranny he could find on his path, "come here, this is not the place for you to be playing such games," he scolded as he tried another door but found it to be locked. Regina would have his bloody head if she found him searching her castle. No matter how true the explanation of looking for Roland was, he knew she would make certain to grind in the fact that he was a thief picking through her home. And she would do it with hard eyes and a near snarl on that perfect mouth of hers.

"Roland," he groaned out through his teeth, "you are going to be the death of me, boy."

He rounded the corner and then stopped in his tracks at the sight of the queen. He relaxed however and let the dread slip away when he actually took the scene in. The fearsome queen was crouching in front of his son while her dark cloak encircled the both of them, attached to her shoulders and then flowed around her one side as though she had turned and the cloak had stayed in place while Roland wrapped it around himself as well.

It brought a smile to his face and he leaned back against the wall silently and folded his arms over his chest as Regina ran a gentle hand over Roland's temple, through his hair, behind his ear, and then along his jaw. If approached with the topic of him minding that the dark queen was so close to his son, the answer would be absolutely not. And watching her with him now only strengthened his opinion. She was absolutely harmless when it came to Roland. He wouldn't be all that surprised if she would fight to the death to keep him alive and well either.

He didn't know what it was...perhaps the loss of her own son had her especially accepting of another child. He was most certain that his parenting would be questioned by allowing Regina to be the first woman in Roland's life aside from Mulan. Mulan was more a friend than anything and had never taken much interest in Roland. Regina however had caught Roland's attention from the very beginning and the boy had ignored or put down every warning of the woman's darker tendencies.

The boy desired a mother and the mother desired a child. It was truly that simple to him and he did not question it and would most certainly defend it.

He kept himself partially hidden in the shadows so he could watch them interact without their knowledge and it was a precious thing to watch. The reputably ferocious queen lowering herself down to the level of a small child, giving him the respect she wouldn't dare give anyone else. He watched with a smile as she stood up tall and began walking forward but kept her eyes on Roland as he stood still and let her cloak drag over his head with a joyous laugh until he caught the hem before it hit the floor and proceeded to skip around her with the hem of her cloak in his hands.

Regina watched him with a delighted smile and spun with him before she got too tangled in the dark blue fabric of her cloak. Much to Roland's excitement. He couldn't help but laugh under his breath just a little when Regina took hold of her cloak and waited for the right moment before she gave it a sudden sharp tug, ripping it seamlessly from Roland's grip. Roland shrieked out a joyous laugh and he heard Regina laugh as well and it was a beautiful sound. Low and warm and heart lifting.

The laughter continued and grew as Regina moved her cloak around, pulling it over Roland's head and waving it in the air around her as Roland laughed and chased it. Soon the pair of them were chasing one another, reaching and grabbing, dodging and and lunging, all the while laughing and grinning. Robin had never seen such happiness in his son. Not to mention in the beautiful queen.

"Poppa!" Roland cheered through his laughter when he saw his father so near.

Regina's laughter stopped immediately and she turned around quickly only to find Robin much closer than she believed him to be. Hardly a foot away as a matter of fact and it started her just a little but she didn't jump away, only leaned back a little.

Robin didn't change his features. He kept his smile in place and quickly studied the uncertainty, vulnerability, and even fear in her expression. It was soft and sweet and had him smiling even more as he cocked his head ever so slightly.

"I found your son," she stated and gently cleared her throat.

"I can see that," he nodded and she lifted her head a little higher on her shoulders, slowly and subtly regaining the appearance of the proud queen, "thank you for keeping his company."

"Yes, well..." She stumbled over her words a little, caught by surprise by his calm demeanour over Roland being alone with her, "...yes..."

"I am happy to see he has taken a shine to you," he nodded and she squinted her eyes a little in confusion, "he hasn't had many women in his life...well none actually. I'm glad he has chosen you."

"...why?"

Robin chuckled under his breath and shook his head, "a strong, proud, powerful, and yet still tender hearted, beautiful woman such as yourself? Why not?"

"You are not concerned I am going to harm him?"

Robin let out another laugh as he shook his head, "no, no I promise that you are quite literally the last person I worry about bringing harm to Roland."

She opened her mouth to say something but her words were lost and she closed her mouth again. He made no sense to her. None whatsoever. And his dimples...had those always been there?

Well it seemed he had managed to worm his way inside a little. Unintentionally or not he had earned himself quite a bit more of her respect. Not to mention the annoying fact that she now found him significantly more attractive than before...annoying.

He smiled a little more, enough for his teeth to show just a little. He smiled because he noticed her let her guard down significantly. Not all the way of course but quite a fair amount; enough for her to relax in his presence. "Roland, my boy," he called and snapped the queen out of her daze causing her to shake her head and clear her throat quietly as she dropped her eyes from his mouth and to the ground between them. He couldn't help the grin that graced his mouth when Roland poked his head out from behind Regina and beneath her cloak once more.

"Yes poppa?"

"Are you going to come with me or will you be staying with the queen?" He asked easily and smiled a little more as he glanced up to Regina after her dark eyes shot up to stare at him with his question.

"I want to stay with her!" He cheered and jumped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her thigh and rested his head against her thigh as well.

Out of instinct or habit her hand fell to his head and her fingers ran through his hair but kept her confused eyes on Robin.

"Very well. So long as it's alright with her majesty."

"Can I stay and play with you some more?! Please?!"

"Uh, y-yes of course," she pulled her eyes from Robin and looked down at Roland. Quickly she found herself smiling down at him as he wound his arms tighter around her thigh and he shuffled even closer and grinned up at her with his chin now resting against her thigh, "of course you can stay with me," she nodded and ran her fingers through his hair again before looking up to Robin.

"Perfect! I shall leave you two to it then," he smiled and nodded but before he left he gently swiped the side of his finger along her jaw and beneath her chin and held back a soft laugh when her breath was caught, "smiling suits you, your majesty," he complimented and then bowed his head politely before turning to walk away.

"Regina," she offered when she found her voice again and he turned back around with his eyebrows raised in a question, "you may call me Regina."

Robin smiled and nodded, feeling warmth bloom in his chest that came with the self pride of earning some of her trust and respect, "Regina," he corrected himself and watched her smile curl a little higher before he turned and walked away.

Regina let out a soft and contemplative hum as she watched Robin walk away and continued mindlessly moving her fingers slowly through Roland's hair while he remained attached to her.

"Do you like my poppa?"

Regina was startled back to reality at the sound of his mischievous voice and she looked down at him and smiled at that playful grin of his, "what do you mean?"

"Do you want to kiss him?"

Regina's eyes widened at the question and she couldn't help the uneasy laughter from leaving her lips, "no, Roland, I am quite fine without kissing your father."

"Well Snow and David kiss all the time and they are happy," he smiled as he rocked his weight from one foot to the other and then back again, "you and poppa should kiss so you can both be happy too!"

"Oh, Roland," she smiled and laughed softly in adoration of his logic, "I don't think your poppa would let me kiss him even if I wanted to."

"Why not? You are very pretty!"

Regina laughed quietly through her bright smile and shook her head, "thank you," she laughed and pushed the hair from his forehead with her fingertips, "but you must love someone before you kiss them if you want that kiss to make you happy. I do not love your father, I barely know him."

"Well you should know him so that you can love him and then you can kiss him and then you can be happy!"

"You are a darling little boy," Regina leaned down with a smile and he laughed happily up at her. It felt so great to be enjoyed and wanted again, "what do you want to do?"

"Try and catch me!" He exclaimed and then took off running down the hall.

Regina watched him run off, his short little legs moving quickly underneath him as his little cloak flowed behind him. She gave him some time to get some distance between them before she laughed quietly to herself and started jogging after the little four year old who let out a loud shriek of laughter and ran even faster when he looked over his shoulder and saw her chasing him.


	2. Chapter 2

**So this is where the rating changes to M ;) I only have one more chapter for this story and then it will be complete. Please review! And please don't be shy! ;) **

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Robin turned his attention from the window and toward the door of his room when her heard the quiet tap of women's shoes against the stone floor. His expression softened in to a smile when he laid eyes on the queen with his son fast asleep in her arms; his head on her shoulder and his face nuzzled in to her neck as his arms encircled around her shoulders in a loose grip.

"Out like a light," she smiled and Robin breathed out a single laugh before he approached her.

"You have a good touch," he smiled and walked past her and she pivoted to follow him to the bed where he pulled back the blankets so she could lay him down, "he hasn't slept this heavily since his ordeal with that flying monkey."

"Well running through the maze of halls in this place with an evil queen hot on your heels tends to tire one out rather quickly," she replied quietly with a playful smirk.

"Yes I suppose so," Robin chuckled and her smile grew a little more. He motioned with his arm for her to walk first and was then mindful not to step on her long cloak as he followed her.

Regina hesitated and then stopped at the door before she left it and took a deep breath before turning back around to face Robin and quietly spoke, "thank you."

"For what?"

"For not assuming I hold true to my reputation, for actually looking at me like I am a person and not a monster, for trusting me with your son, and I don't know...for not getting fed up with me prodding you every time I see you," she shrugged and couldn't help but smile a little when he started laughing quietly.

Robin cocked his head a little when she bowed her head shyly and her hands clasped together in front of her, her gaze falling to his mouth before down to the floor. "You are very welcome," he nodded and then shook his head a little, "although one should not have to thank another for simply treating them like a person."

Regina glanced up at him again before shrugging her shoulders and looking off to the side a little, "well when you have done what I have done, it tends to take a lot of effort to show everyone that you too are a person."

She smiled at him a little and when he smiled back her eyes dropped to his mouth once more and lingered there before she looked down at the floor again. The act of taking a few steps closer to her had her dark eyes lifting to his mouth again before looking him straight in the eye, "you keep staring at my mouth."

Regina shook her head at his whisper with an uneasy laugh at his curious and amused accusation, "I do not."

"Ah, see? Did it again," he smirked playfully when her eyes dropped again.

"Only because-!"

"There again," he grinned and she huffed through her nose in displeasure but it only had him smiling more, "do I have something there?"

"No."

"Something in my teeth then?" He questioned and let his teeth show with his grin as she grew more uneasy and flustered.

"No."

"Ah well you must desire a kiss then," he grinned with closed lips and raised an eyebrow.

"What-no!"

"Are you sure?" He questioned and her eyes momentarily dropped once more to his mouth, "there again," he teased playfully and took a step forward and in turn she took one back.

"I do not want a kiss," she huffed out as though she was insulted while her heart threatened to leap out of her chest.

"Are you certain?"

"Y-yes."

"You hesitated."

"I did not."

"You did," he nodded and she opened her mouth to reply but he cut her off with a sudden kiss that even he didn't exactly permit. There was a small muffled yelp that left her mouth at the contact and they both froze in panic. He was quick to recover though and softly began kneading her full lips as he lifted his hands and curled them around the back of her neck as he swivelled his head to the other side.

He was relieved and encouraged when her mouth softened beneath his and she began to kiss him back. Cautiously at first but it wasn't too long before she grew a little more bold. He felt her relax further as her hands moved up his stomach and over his chest where she took a grip of his shirt and tugged him closer. When her mouth opened beneath his he couldn't help but smile as he breathed her heavy exhale and she his, "I thought you didn't want a kiss," he whispered and felt her open mouth curl in a smile

"I am a notorious _liar_," she whispered back and then flicked the tip of her tongue over his bottom lip, causing him to quickly drop his head and kiss her hard while he dug his fingers in to the sides of her head and kept her from moving away. A small moan against his mouth had him kissing her harder and deeper, pushing her head back and in to his large hands as his tongue moved with hers.

She held him tight and close by the collar of his shirt as she arched her back in to him and ground her hips against him in the process. He growled as she bit down on his bottom lip and shivers flew up and down his spine before he lost what little restraint he had left and began pushing her backward until she was slammed hard against the wall. She hissed at the rough collision but it only had her mouth moving harder against his own much to his excitement.

Moving his hands down to grip her hips had her pushing them forward and purposely grinding hard against his pelvis causing him to groan through clenched teeth while she tried prying his mouth open with her own. His grip tightened further around her hips, not caring about the bruising that may occur later and pushed her up the wall. Her strong slim legs hooked around his hips and trapped him against her and he eagerly pinned her harder against the wall as he opened his mouth and kissed her again.

Heavy hands wandered back up her lithe figure, enjoying the feel of the expensive fabric beneath his touch but more so the feel of her chest and abdomen fighting for breath against the black leather corset that hugged her just as tight as her blue coat. When his hand found her hair he growled against her mouth, their lips grazing as he did, "let it down."

Without a moment's hesitation, Regina grinned and removed her hands from him and took the ends of the long slim clips well hidden in her hair, one in the top and one in the bottom. His hot breath was driving her mad and she pushed her head harder against his as she removed the clips and her dark hair unraveled itself in to long silky curls behind her back.

Immediately his hands were tangled in it and he was on her mouth again. Her legs wound tighter around him and the heel of one stiletto started to dig in to the back of his thigh. The small pain was disregarded the moment he heard a rather loud moan when he moved against her mouth a certain way. One that he was quite happy to repeat when her fingers clawed through his hair to keep him in place when he moved to change the angle of his head. With one hand still deep in her hair he moved the other down her neck and revelled in the sensation of her heartbeat racing beneath his heavy fingertips.

Yes she had found him annoyingly attractive and yes she supposed she could admit that she had fancied him in this matter. However for it to escalate so quickly and seamlessly was interesting and slightly befuddling. Not that it mattered then as his rough fingertips turned in to nails scratching down her chest. "I want you," she growled and then yanked his head back to hers and kissed him hard, scratching her nails across his scalp and taking tight handfuls of his hair before she growled again through her teeth, "I want you."

His body was on fire at those three little words and he kissed her harder and bit down on her lip while his fingers scratched down her chest until he reached the top of her leather corset and tucked his fingers inside along the top of her left breast as though he was going to pull the leather physically from her body. He pulled down further just to see if he could release one breast from its confinement but it was laced too deliciously tight around her figure to allow for that.

As he slammed her head back against the wall with his fervent kiss she moaned and pushed a heavy hand down his chest and stomach and slipped it down between herself and him and began rubbing the palm of her hand firmly over his hardening length. Her other hand still kept a good grip in his hair just as his other was still in her hair, the both of them keeping the other from getting away.

The pair of them paused when they heard the scuffling of feet. Startled feet that had suddenly come to a stop. While Robin turned his head a little to look in the direction of the sound, Regina simply moved her eyes to the side while her mouth remained open and right close to the side of his. His hands remained on her. One in her hair and one on her breast and hers remained unchanged as well as they looked at a wide eyed Little John.

They watched each other in silence. Regina wishing the man would go away, Robin wondering what to say but also wishing he would turn and leave, and Little John glancing back and forth between the pair of them in shock. Then after a long while John's eyes flicked to the bed behind them and then looked at Robin, "shall I take Roland?" He asked quietly with one more quick glance toward the queen before deciding he should probably settle his eyes on Robin before he fell victim to the woman's seductive beauty and had to run away before anyone saw the consequences.

"That would be very much appreciated, Little John," he gave a curt nod with his quiet reply, one that John mirrored before moving toward the bed.

Regina smiled at his answer and felt her body react hotly with the sound of his low, raspy, accented voice. She let her eyes fall shut with her smile and lifted her head from the stone wall and pushed her nose along his neck and felt him shiver in delight at the feel of her hot breath blowing down his neck. She bit down on his neck in a light bite and felt his throat vibrate against her lips in a quiet moan in response. She let her tongue soothe the small bite and then kissed him before moving a little higher up his neck and repeated the action but with a sharper bite that had him turning his head in to hers and whispering the quietest of warnings in her ear.

To wait until they were alone. A warning which she blatantly ignored and continued uninterrupted and added the pressure of her hand moving slowly and heavily up and down his hard cock. He hissed against her ear and she smiled against his neck as he pushed heavier against her and pushed her harder in to the wall.

"Goodnight, Robin," John whispered and Robin nodded quickly while the queen laughed low and quiet in her throat as she moved against him.

"Goodnight, John. And thank you for taking him," his voice was gravelly and tense with the arousal he was trying to hide while he fell mercy to the woman's antics. The very moment he heard the door close Robin yanked her head up from his neck and kissed her hard, pushing her head back against the wall as she grinned and kissed him back just as desperately.

With the bed now free, Robin ripped her from the wall and her arms quickly wound around his head so she could keep upright and keep her mouth on his. Before she was dropped on to the bed he had roughly unfastened the heavy cloak from her shoulders and it fell to the floor as he crawled on top of her. She kicked her shoes off as she clawed at the back of his shirt to pull it up over his head while his hands fought furiously the small buttons holding her blue coat closed over her stomach.

Finally he relented and quickly let go of her and sat up just enough to remove his shirt and she unintentionally let out a needy whimper through her heavy breaths at the chiselled body revealed to her. He was quite pleased with the sound she made however. She could tell by the way his hungry mouth was smiling against hers when he dropped his head and kissed her again.

Much to his excitement he felt the buttons on her coat pop open of their own accord. He was not a fan of magic, no, but he supposed that it did have its uses. Without hesitation he quickly spread the coat open and pushed her head into the bed until she fought him off of her and surprisingly enough rolled him on to his back.

She sat up tall as she straddled him and clawed her nails down his chest and over his stomach while she grinned a wide grin that was all teeth. It was the middle of the night and therefore it was dark in the room. But with pupils blown from both arousal and lack of light, the soft light of the moon was more than enough to see. His hands pushed up her thighs and when they reached her hips he dug his fingers through the black leather hugging her while she pulled her open coat from her body.

She rocked her hips slowly as she did, grinding down hard on the obvious erection swelling his pants and moaning in pleasure as she did. In the act of reaching behind her to unlace her sleeveless leather corset, she pushed her chest forward and gritted her teeth with another moan that had him growling and hooking his warm fingers in to the waist of her pants and slowly pulling down.

He was quickly distracted when the moonlight touched her breasts she her erect nipples cast soft shadows on the delicate skin. He pulled her forward by the waist of her pants and she fell down to him with a laugh, catching herself with one hand on the bed and the other on his chest over his racing heart. Her long dark hair fell over one shoulder as she looked down at him with nothing but desire burning in those dark eyes and that wicked grin.

It was hardly a moment he took to admire her beauty. If he played his cards right he'd tire her out and have plenty of time to admire her as she slept in his bed in his arms. So he quickly lifted his head and caught her in a searing kiss before he slowly started sitting up and she sat up with him while his mouth wandered lower. Her jaw was soft and he couldn't help but catch the corner of it firmly in his teeth causing her to let out a startled but pleasured whimper combined with a gritty moan as she raked her fingers roughly through his hair.

He scraped his teeth down her throat and her nerves went out of control at the perfectly arousing sensation and she began rocking her hips again just to relieve some of the ache between her legs via his hard cock rubbing against her wet centre. When his teeth bit down on her clavicle she groaned through her teeth and his fingers began to dig in to her ribcage while her fingers took a good grip of his hair and she pushed the side of her head against the side of his.

Another growl left her mouth through her teeth when he moved his rough mouth to her chest and his stubble scratched against her skin while his hot tongue left her damp skin to chill in the night air between kisses and bites to her breasts. She moaned against his ear and began writhing in need and pushing herself even heavier against his length while her hands opened and closed in his hair and tugged at it as her hot heavy breaths blew through it as well.

He panted against her chest as he picked her up only enough to turn her and pin her firmly back down on her back. Her legs wound around the backs of his but he quickly forced them off of him and began pulling at the waist of her leather pants as his mouth marked his way down her stomach. Furiously he yanked at the tight pants and brought the scant black lace panties with them and when they were finally off of her he wasted no time in waiting to hear her scream.

She let out a startled gasp with an underlying cry of pleasure when he dove down and closed his hot mouth around her clit and moved a quick and firm tongue. Relentlessly. Her hands balled in to fists around the bedding as she cried out again and pushed her head back hard enough for her back to arch off of it. She felt one of his hands push down hard just below her stomach to keep her in place against his talented mouth while his other hand gripped her thigh to keep her from clamping her legs around his head.

She was more sensitive than her usual. She hadn't been with a partner since Graham and her own fingers never had the same effect as another's. Not that she had had time or been in the mood for that anyway. What with curses breaking, having everyone out for her head, being tortured to death, Neverland, another curse, and mourning the loss of Henry. She hadn't been touched in a good long while and what he was doing with his mouth was making her head spin.

She cried out again as she took new handfuls of the bedding and he pushed against her closing leg. Her heart was out of control and her chest and stomach were rising and falling dramatically with short heavy breaths as he kissed her and pushed his tongue inside her. She bucked in to him and whimpered loudly through her clenched teeth as he made quick work of putting her right on the edge.

He pulled her closer and harder against his working mouth and another cry of pleasure and encouragement left her open mouth as her muscles all contracted and she sat up a little and tightened her one leg around his shoulder. When she met his eye he was grinning at her from between her legs while his hand below her stomach kept her pinned down. She groaned as she fell back on to the bed, her voice entering her heavy breaths as she pushed her hands over the bed and above her head to grip the blankets there.

She was now writhing in pleasure and making sounds he never knew he wanted to hear leave that gorgeous mouth of hers. It was only a few seconds longer before she came undone and he would be lying if he said he didn't feel a little pride as the queen screamed and squirmed on the bed.

He kept his mouth moving harder and faster and she was quickly out of breath, panting as though there was no air in the room and letting her pleasure he known through varieties of vocals. He kept going and going until she was spent and she laid on her back trying to soothe her small bouts of quivering with excess eroticism as her arms lay limp now above her head and she tried to catch her breath.

Robin chuckled low in his throat as he wiped his chin with his hand and licked his lips clean. At the sound she smiled in return and laughed quietly with him under her scarce breath. He laid kiss below her pelvis and then slowly began to move higher and she propped herself up on her elbows so she could look him in the eye as he got closer and closer to her mouth.

A satisfied hum vibrated in her throat as his rough stubble scratched her skin and his mouth latched between her breasts. She lifted her knees up against either side of him and sat up a little more so she could push her fingers through his hair and take a good grip and pull his head up to hers. Their open mouths hovered over one another and she nudged her nose against his before she caught his mouth with hers and immediately had him groaning as her tongue moved with his. He gave as good as he got in the kiss and once again her mind was sent sky high and she removed one hand from his hair and dragged it down his body and slipped it beneath the waist of his pants and took hold of what she wanted.

As she began pumping her hand up and down his length he tangled his hands in to her hair and tilted her head back as far as it could go as he kissed her. Then he travelled down her neck, biting and kissing between ever shortening breaths and low moans. The feel of him in her hand had heat shooting straight down between her legs. He was long and thick but not so much that he would hurt or be uncomfortable and she could hardly stand the wait to have him inside her.

Then he pushed her flat on her back, a hand on either shoulder. Now perhaps if she weren't too focused on his burning eyes, the hot aroused breath huffing last his lips and across her skin, how much she loved his weight holding her down, the heat and wetness growing between her legs, the way her heart was hammering in her chest, the hard cock in her moving hand, or perhaps if it were just a tad bit lighter in the room; she would have noticed the tattoo of a lion permanently etched on to the wrist out of the corner of her left eye.

But she didn't.

Instead her eyes fell shut as her head was pushed back in to the bed with a fierce kiss and she let go of him only to start pulling his pants off of him. With a clumsy combination of feet, hands, and kicks, the pants were discarded and she could feel his length resting between her legs. She gritted her teeth with a needy moan as she pushed her hips up to meet his and then waited with bated breath when she felt his hand position his tip at her entrance.

Her nails dug in to the backs of his shoulders as he slowly pushed himself inside her. She curled around him as her face twisted with sweet pleasure, one slim leg hooking around the back of one of his while the other knee dug in to his side as her nails scratched down his back and she pushed her face in to his neck where she whimpered quietly through an open mouth. He filled her and slowly started rocking his hips, sliding in and out as he hissed in pleasure and she clawed at him.

Then he started to move a little faster and she found it nearly impossible to breathe. She fought hard for air as her nerves fired crippling pleasure under her skin and up and down her spine. "Robin," she whimpered in to his neck and gripped at his hair once again and then moaned against him.

The sound of his name had him sighing a long hot breath down her neck as his hands pushed up her sides until his thumbs pushed in to her soft breasts. He pushed her down off of him with more force than what was really necessary so her head and shoulders were back on the bed and without wasting another second his mouth was on her neck and his thrusts were getting harder and faster. She groaned and pushed her head back as her fingers threaded through his hair and she rocked her hips in time with his.

Her pulse was thundering beneath his lips, strong and fast much like his own. Her breaths were heavy and vocal and brought his own husky voice to the surface as well as he started pounding against her. Her cries grew louder and her nails scratched down his upper arms and with every hard thrust her breasts bounced. He cursed under his breath and dropped his head to push his forehead against hers and breathed in her exhale, causing his head to spin.

He crashed his mouth against hers and she held his head there and clumsily returned his kiss. A louder groan left his mouth and her fingers curled tighter in his hair but he ripped away from the kiss and looked her right in the eye as he quickened his pace further. Her lips parted a little more and she tilted her head backward in to the bed a little more before settling level once more. Her hands now rested on his chest and on the back of his neck while he held one on her hip and the other around her ribcage with his thumb beneath the swell of her breast.

She couldn't look away from those green eyes that were darkened with desire and heated arousal. Even if she wanted to she couldn't. He was fucking her senseless and she _loved_ it. Pounding against her and knocking any lucid thoughts from her mind. His hands were strong and warm and his weight was heavy but not suffocating. She could feel herself losing control.

She started writhing beneath him and dug the side of her knee in to his side but he didn't falter. He kept going hard and strong, and she moaned and cried out much to his obvious delight. His sharp breaths blew over her neck and jaw and she closed her eyes for a moment with a long groan through her teeth. A groan that bounced in time with his hard thrusts.

"Don't stop," she groaned out and then breathed out a small whimper as her fingers dug in to his skin and she kept her pinned down and unable to curl in on herself with the tension coiling inside her, "don't stop, don't stop, don't stop," she whined out in a needy plea and pushed her head back in to the bed.

Robin shook his head with a grin, "I don't plan on it, your majesty," he whispered and she twisted and whimpered beneath him. He groaned under his breath and she let out a small scream while her muscles tried once again to have her curl in on herself.

When her eyes opened she couldn't handle the look on his face. He was near losing it himself and she could see it. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his as he watched her come. Her mouth opened wider with a loud scream as her orgasm tore through every fibre in her body. Her nails scratched down his chest and his arm and she tried to curl in on herself but couldn't so she arched her back of the bed and pushed her leg harder in to his side as her toes curled.

He was not far behind her after watching her pupils blow out with her orgasm and hearing her scream like that. He continued fucking her through her orgasm and through his, swearing and digging his fingers in to her soft skin as he spilled inside of her. He growled and moaned and she cried out as her body fought between moving closer to him and getting away.

Only when they both fell quiet did he break the intense eye contact and drop his head to kiss her. It was clumsy and sloppy between heavy breaths but neither of them cared. His hands tangled in her soft hair and he kissed her hard once more before pulling away and kissing his way down her neck. He moved his tongue out against the hollow of her neck and tasted the salt from the thin layer of sweat that glistened in the moonlight.

She moved her hands over his back with a contented sigh and a deep breath to try and soothe her heavy breathing and calm her body's need for oxygen. His muscles causing her wrists and fingers to give and take as she moved them was satisfying beyond all reason. His mouth on her neck and chest did nothing to calm her racing heart as he pulled himself from inside her and laid a little heavier on top of her.

"Fuck me again, Locksley," she requested against his ear and smiled when he felt him smile against her collarbone.

Robin lifted his head slowly and hovered his face over hers just far enough away to focus on dark eyes and soft swollen lips that were parted with a smile that had his growing while her fingertips played gently in the hair by his temple, "as you wish, your majesty," he smiled and a low laugh bounced in her throat before he dropped his head and kissed her.


	3. Chapter 3

**So I decided to split this last one in to two chapters because it was getting toI long. So SUPRISE! This isn't the last chapter lol! The next one will for sure be the last one though. I hope you enjoy it! Your reviews have been wonderful! Please keep them coming! I write for you and I want to know what you think :) **

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He woke up with the sun as he did every morning only on this morning he woke up with a particularly beautiful brunette sleeping in his arms. She hadn't moved much durning the night. If anything she had moved even closer to him. It had him smiling and trailing his fingers up her bare arm beneath the blanket and to her shoulder and then neck where he traveled a little higher and followed the path of her hairline behind her ear.

She didn't wake at the soft contact, didn't even stir. He did not believe a woman with such a dangerous reputation would sleep so soundly nor did he believe she wouldn't wake up to the slightest change in sound or touch or even added presence in the room. Not even after a long night of rather intense sex did he believe those instincts and habits would vanish after decades of people aiming to kill her.

The estimated conclusion he came to was that she felt safe and protected in his arms and therefore her guard was put down. It had him smiling all the more as he tilted his head a little further in to the pillow they shared and continued softly combing his fingers through her hair above her ear.

Yes he had heard many tales of the truly infamous Evil Queen. He had even ventured in to her land with the intentions of spreading her wealth only to find she was doing a fine job of it herself. Of course there were plenty of families that were poorer than most but there was not one person begging for food or money on the street. They had enough to live and not merely survive. He found it rather intriguing that he and his Merry Men had nothing to right in a kingdom reigned by evil.

Her hatred was concentrated on one person and if you were to help Snow you would pay the consequences. There was too much blood shed in her kingdom, that was a given. But there was nothing he or his men could do to fix it or change it. If you didn't cross the queen, you lived a well and considerably happy life. It was truly as simple as that.

Hearing the more recent stories of her efforts in both Storybrooke and Neverland had him convinced all the more that the woman was nothing close to evil. Her actions in the past could very well be considered evil, he could not argue that, but the woman herself? No, he believed not.

He was rather fond of her, truth be told. Her tongue was quick, she was clever and not only clever but incredibly intelligent as well, her smile was not easily given but it was one that was worth the work to earn, she was also quite funny and she thought she was as well which made it even better. Her humour was clever and subtle and mostly for her own entertainment for it took others a little while to catch the underlying meaning of her carefully arranged words that came seamlessly from her tongue. He kept up with her though and often found himself hiding a smile or a laugh and then tried even harder to do so when he caught the smallest upturn of the corner of her mouth as she subtly smiled at herself.

Her interactions with Roland had earned her a special place in his mind and perhaps even his heart as well. They were always sweet, always kind, always gentle, always motherly. Her true colours were shown when she was with that boy. He truly believed that.

And then there was her beauty. Everyone knew of the dark queen's beauty. It was envied by many and rumoured by more. In person, however, her face and body exceeded any rumour. He knew that she was aware she was beautiful but he wondered if she was aware of how much. Was she aware of the princess admiring her quietly from afar with the smallest hint of envy in her eyes? Was she aware of the charming Prince studying her and silently wondering how a creature so beautiful fell so far in to darkness? Was she aware of the way Neal would watch her with shame for his father's actions toward her because a woman so beautiful and loving should have lived happily? Did she know of the Dark One's lover watching her curiously for surely even Rumplestiltskin could not have resisted such a beautiful and lustful woman constantly being in his company?

Was she aware of the thief who sought her out in the crowd just to look at her? The same thief who would engage in her quick banter just to speak with her in hopes it would lighten her spirits for just a little while and perhaps even bring a smile to that beautiful mouth even if it was just to herself when no one else was around. A face like that deserved to smile even if no one was watching.

He smiled when he noticed her breathing change even though it was just the smallest of changes. She was awake and that made him happy.

"Are you watching me sleep, Locksley?"

He gave a single silent laugh at her soft groggy voice and she kept her eyes closed so she didn't see him lean closer, "maybe," he answered quietly and felt her lips part drowsily when his brushed against them. He closed his lips softly around the scar on her top lip as his fingers moved slowly through her silky hair. When he pulled away she hummed happily and nuzzled her face closer so her nose pushed softly against his and kept her eyes closed. "Did you sleep well?"

Regina nodded a little with a small smile and answered just above a whisper, "you are very warm."

"Well it is always reassuring to know that all it takes is another warm body to soothe the queen's icy heart," he quipped playfully and she smiled and let the comment go otherwise ignored.

"And you are very very good in bed. Two things I find particularly pleasing in a man," she smirked and he laughed quietly as his fingers continued to move soothingly through her hair, "although I do wonder what you would have done to me if dear Little John had not made an appearance and taken Roland."

"Oh I would have carried you to another room or at the very least in to the hall," he grinned and she laughed in amusement, "thing about Little John is that he is always there when I need him most. It is very convenient," he chuckled and she laughed a little more. Slowly their laughter died in to a peaceful and comfortable silence and she slowly moved closer until her face was nuzzled right in where his neck met his shoulder.

She was not exactly one to cuddle in the morning but he smelled good and he was warm and he made her feel...calm. She rather enjoyed being close to him which was something she didn't find in anyone really. She still couldn't place her finger on what it was that drew her to him.

After taking one more deep breath of his scent she pulled her head back far enough to look at his face in focus from her end of the pillow. A combination of various greens and browns made up the gentle eyes that looked back at her as she blinked her eyes open for the first time that morning. Peaceful and kind and when he smiled at her the corners of them creased with his sincerity and she nuzzled the side of her head a little further in to the pillow as she smiled back at him, the corners of her eyes creasing as well.

And then his hand pulled back from the side of her head with the intention of combing through the dark strands once more and she caught sight of a darker mark on his wrist.

The tattoo of a lion.

It felt as though time had stopped the moment she laid eyes on it. Her heart stopped beating and her lungs refused to welcome in air as she stared at it. A split second later when his fingertips made contact with her temple she lost her mind.

She sucked in a sharp breath as she pushed herself away from him quickly, squirming free from his hold and falling off the bed with a startled yelp before she landed with a rough thud.

"Regina?" He called with a soft uneasy laugh and stretched up a little to try and see her on the floor, "Regina are you alright?" She made it back on to her feet and was quickly wrapping her cloak around her bare body as she backed away with hurried steps and a look of absolute terror on her face that parted her lips and widened her eyes, "Regina what's wrong?" He asked with a worried voice and began getting out of the bed himself so he could put his pants on and go to her. The movement only had her turning and running for the door with tears in her eyes, "Regina!?"

Regina felt herself shaking as a tear rolled down her cheek and she swung open the door and ran out of it only to round the corner and crash in to the solid body of David. She jumped back and in doing so she stumbled a little bit but he quickly caught her and when she looked up she found confusion of course but more so a tender look of concern in those bright blue eyes.

"Regina...what's wrong? Are you alright?" He asked gently as he held her by her arms and she choked on her breath as a new tear rolled down her cheek.

"Don't let him follow me," she whispered hurriedly and then rushed past him holding her dark blue cloak tight around her chest.

David watched her run off and when Robin came sprinting out the door wearing only a pair of pants he quickly grabbed the man by his upper arm and effectively brought him to a halt. "What the hell is going on?" He requested sternly but quietly, put at ease by the fact that Robin looked as confused and as worried as ever.

"I don't know," he answered with a shake of his head and tried to free his arm from David's grip only to have it tighten, "what are you doing?"

"Alright look, I came here to ask if you would like to join our Wicked Witch hunting party but instead I get a request from a hysterical Regina to keep you from following her. So I am going to ask again. Aside from the obvious fact the two of you spent the night together, what happened?"

"I haven't the slightest clue, I swear! One moment she was still and happy and the next she is falling out of bed because she couldn't get away from me fast enough! I don't know what spooked her, I was trying to catch her to see what I had done! Now will you let go of me?!"

"Only if you do not follow her," David reasoned sternly and after a frustrated pause, Robin nodded in agreement. So David let go and Robin tugged his arm back to his side and looked past David where Regina had disappeared.

The longer he looked down the empty hallway the further he felt his heart sink. He didn't know what he did to scare her so badly. What on earth could scare a woman like that into tears? With a long tense breath through his nose, Robin lifted his hands to his hair and turned his back to the Prince and walked back in to his room.

...

She had been avoiding him all day. Every time he would see her he would try to get to her but she would simply turn and walk away. She knew the castle's paths better than anyone and found no trouble at all in losing the archer in them. She usually had a good enough head start that she didn't even have to use magic to get away. She was tired of running away though.

So now she sat on the edge of her bed looking out the massive window viewing the forest. She tried her very hardest to empty her mind but no matter what she tried to distract herself with, she always fell back to that night at the tavern all those years ago. Guilt and regret weighed her down as her mind travelled through various life paths had she gone in to that tavern. Would she have been happy? Would he have been happy?

She felt sick to her stomach and tried to calm it by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She was interrupted by a knock on the door and felt her heart drop even further, "go away," she called over her shoulder with less force than she had hoped for. She looked over her shoulder when she heard the door open, magic ready at her fingertips to take her somewhere else. But it was only David. So she relaxed and straightened her neck and looked back out the window in front of her.

She ignored him when he walked around her and she ignored him when he sat down beside her on the bed but he was not oblivious to her clasped fingers digging in to one another nor the way she swallowed nervously and used all of her strength to hold her head high and keep her dark eyes focused outside. It was early evening and he had hardly seen her since that morning and when he had seen her she was silent and on edge and then running away whenever Robin came in to sight.

"What happened?" He asked softly but she ignored him and kept her eyes focused outside. With a quiet sighed breath he cautiously reached forward and placed a hand over hers in her lap, "Regina what is going on?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I believe that to be a lie."

"I don't want to talk to you about it."

"That's better," he offered a small smile with his whisper and moved his thumb over the backs of her knuckles to try and coax her in to talking to him. When she didn't answer him he decided to go for the worst case scenario even though he was quite certain it was far from the truth, "did he hurt you?"

"Absolutely not!" She snapped and shot her head his way and her expression immediately softened when he looked back at her through eyes that held no accusation of the sort. Just trying to grab her attention. "He didn't do anything wrong," she shook her head quietly, "it is my fault...again...it always is," she drifted off and looked back out the window ahead of them.

"What did you do?"

"It is more so what I didn't do..."

"What didn't you do then?"

"How do you do it?" She asked quietly; changing the subject and feeling her chest tighten with the desire to cry.

Deciding not to push her in a direction she did not want to go in, David furrowed his brow a little and cocked his head, "do what?"

"Keep everyone around you alive and close?"

David frowned and his shoulders dropped a little as she kept her now teary eyes focused on the forest in front of her. "I don't know how to answer that, Regina," he whispered solemnly and her eyes fell shut as she swallowed in an effort to keep herself from breaking. He let out a breath through his nose and moved a little closer to her, "do you like him?"

"I am not about to tell you about my feelings, Charming," she did her best to snap at him but her voice was just a little tight.

"Oh no of course not," he shook his head with an excessively serious tone as he tucked his chin in a little and furrowed his brow. But when she gave a small smile he smiled with her and breathed out a quiet laugh. "However I am going to take that answer as well as the bruises and red lines all over Robin's back and chest and arms as well as the assumption you are wearing an uncharacteristically modest dress to hide similar marks and conclude that you just may have a particular liking toward the guy," he smirked and she kept her eyes down and shrugged her shoulders up a little.

"You certainly could have chosen worse," he shrugged and moved his thumb over the back of her knuckles again, "I do not believe you could have found anyone better though," he whispered and she bowed her head, "he is a good man, Regina."

"I know that."

"Then why is it that you ran?"

"Because I hate feeling trapped."

"Trapped?"

"It was so freeing when I was with him. It was easy and it was good and the entire time I was wondering why. Why the hell did I feel so secure in the arms of a man I didn't know? What was it about him that took the ache out of my heart? How was it that I knew him so well and he knew me when we hadn't hardly carried a conversation any longer than a few minutes at any given time? I got my answer this morning."

"What are you two like predestined lovers?" He teased with a small laugh but shut up rather quickly when she crossed her jaw and kept her eyes down, "wait seriously?"

"I hate fairies," she whispered with a shake of her head, "so much."

"Tinkerbell..." He whispered as he put the pieces together, "well...there are worse fates."

"My entire life has been mapped out for me, David!" She cried out and suddenly felt her tears burning in her eyes as she stood up and ripped her hands out from beneath his, "I have not made one decision on my own in my entire life! You have no idea what that is like! And now I don't even have a say in who I am to love?! It's not fair, David! Before I was even born I was to be queen and my mother manipulated and trained me like a dog until I was in the throne! Even saving Snow was arranged by my mother! And then I belonged to Rumplestiltskin and my next lot in life was to enact the dark curse! Even Henry was not my decision! Yes I wanted a child but even in his cursed state Rumplestiltskin managed to procure the child of the god damn saviour so that ten years later she would come and break the curse! I may have believed I had a mind of my own but I was nothing more than a marionette whose strings were passed from one puppeteer to the next! I am tired of it! I want to live my own life! It hurts me to know that I did not find Robin on my own! It hurts to know that once again my life is laid out for me when I believed I was finally free!"

"You said yourself that being with him made you feel free," he reasoned gently.

"That only makes it hurt more! You don't understand what it's like!"

"No I have no idea what it is like. I was always able to escape because the people holding me captive were not nearly as strong as the ones holding you. But I am willing to bet that if you found a little courage and stopped being so stubborn, you would find your freedom in the care of that man."

"He doesn't-"

"Don't be a fool, Regina. You are too smart for that," he cocked his head with a small smile and pushed himself up off the bed to walk up to her and her eyes followed his every movement, "he's been pining after you since day one and it gets progressively worse every time he sees you. You think he didn't have his own little meltdown when he came to realize his heart wanted to fall in to the hands of the evil queen? Hell I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact I am in your room offering relationship advice."

"That's not what you're doing," she shook her head in distaste.

"Is it not?"

"No, you are in my room testing my patience."

"Ah see I knew something wasn't right," he smiled and she folded her arms over her chest, "thank you for clearing that up for me. Would have hated to deal with that whole mess in my head," he smirked playfully and she bit back a smile. She knew what he was doing, she was a smart woman. She knew that he was only pushing as far as she would take and when he overstepped he would quickly put it on himself rather than start an argument.

"Seriously though, Regina," he nodded and stepped a little closer, "there is no shame in being scared. Everyone is scared of something. If love is your fear then find a little courage and take a leap of faith. If Robin doesn't catch you then I will and you can tear me apart for it," he smiled gently and she watched him with no single expression. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he nodded and walked past her and out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright and this is where the story comes to an unfortunate close. It does have a happy ending though ;) I am thrilled that you guys have all enjoyed this story! I hope you enjoy this last chapter as much as the other three :) please review and let me know what you think!**

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Nights had turned in to days and days had turned in to nearly two weeks and he still had not been able to get close to Regina. He had gone over that morning and that night countless times in his head but he could not figure out what had caused such panic to grip her heart. He felt guilty. He also yearned for her. He wanted to hold her again as he did that morning. Nice and close. He wanted to feel her heart beat beneath his fingertips and he wanted her sweet scent to fill his senses once more.

He missed her. Which was really a rather strange thing for he truly knew very little about her. Oh but he wanted to know her.

"Roland," Robin called when he caught sight of his son bouncing down the hall. The boy turned and grinned at him before running to him as fast as his little legs could carry him. Robin laughed happily as he dropped down to his son's height and wrapped his big strong arms around his little self, "ah my boy. How are you doing today?"

"Really good," he smiled as he stood between his fathers knees.

"Have you seen the queen today?"

"Not yet but I am going to see her in our special place," he whispered and then lifted a finger to his lips indicating that that information was to be kept secret.

The warmth that burst through his chest was powerful and heart lifting. He had been wondering where Roland had been disappearing to everyday but never thought much of it for he was always back within a couple hours. To know that he had been spending time with Regina made him happier than words could say. "Well then I shan't keep you from her," he smiled and winked playfully much to his son's delight, "but before I let you go will you do me a secret favour?"

"Sure!"

"That's my good boy."

...

"Regina!"

Regina turned at the call of her name and immediately there was a bright smile on her face as the little boy ran to her with a grin, "good afternoon, little knight," she greeted happily and Roland laughed in excitement at the title.

"I have a present for you," he smiled as he waded through the tall green grass and the queen slowly lowered herself so she crouched in front of him.

"Oh? And what may this present be?"

When Roland stopped in front of her he let out a small excited laugh and then revealed the dark red rose from behind his back. Regina smiled brightly at the flower and laughed in sweet adoration as her soft slender fingers brushed against his small ones in the act of taking the flower's stem from him and brought the petals to her nose, her smiling dark chocolate eyes offering further beauty to the dark rose when placed close to each other.

"How very thoughtful of you," she laughed happily as she spun the rose between her thumb and finger.

"Act-chally it's from my poppa," Roland clarified with a away of his hips as he clasped his little hands behind his back and the beautiful queen's smile faltered just slightly.

"Your poppa?"

"Mhm," Roland nodded and smiled as he tilted his head a little in curiosity as to why she had become so troubled but he didn't ask why, "he says he is sorry."

Regina's gaze fell to the rose and tried to soothe the stab of pain that hit her square in the heart.

"Do you want me to send a secret message back to him?"

"No, dear, that's alright," she shook her head and forced herself to look up at him from the rose and smile, "you are not a pigeon," she teased to try and bring the fun and light atmosphere back to their secret hideout amongst the trees.

"I am a knight!"

Regina laughed quietly through her bright smile and nodded, "you are my special little knight," she confirmed and tilted the rose away from her so it's soft and aromatic petals gently tapped the boy's nose causing him to giggle. Regina laughed a little more when Roland jumped toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled the side of his face in to her chest.

Roland hummed happily when her arms encircled him in a light hold and then turned his head straight so he looked up at her and rested his chin on her breasts while she smiled down at him. "I like having a mother," he confessed with a smile and then turned his head again and laid the side of his face on her chest.

Regina's smile faltered and her lips parted in shock, startled and concerned about the title he had given her. It wasn't that she was offended, no, but...well...she imagined no one would be all that pleased with the child referring to her as his mother.

...

Regina found him where her magic had told her he was. Watching the sun set from the top front balcony between the tall spires of the castle. Her footsteps were silent as she walked nervously toward his back with the stem of the rose spinning slowly between her fingertips. She was terrified. Honest to goodness, terrified. Her racing heartbeat was pounding in her ears and she felt sick to her stomach. With every step she made toward him it only got worse.

She swallowed when she was within arms reach of him, her throat dry and tight. Before she stepped in to his peripheral, her voice was heard and it sounded no different than any other time she had taken a jab at someone, "using your son to get to me now are you?"

Robin twisted quickly at the sound of her voice and couldn't help the smile that curled his mouth at the sight of her so close. He shrugged a little and moved his feet so he was fully facing her, "well I was growing rather desperate."

"Hmm," Regina hummed as she raised her eyebrows and pushed her head forward a little with a bit of a smirk. A smirk she soon covered with the rose, it's soft petals resting against her smiling red lips.

Robin cocked his head with his smile still in place as he admired her. Striking dark eyes smiling at him from behind a rose, long dark hair pulled back in to a loosely braided bun, a few shorter strands left to frame her face in soft wisps of curls, an indigo satin gown hugging her beautiful figure and hanging from her hips, long sleeves and a single twist in the fabric over her breasts lending the gown a simple sweetheart neckline, a small single diamond hung around her neck on a delicate silver chain, and her make up was soft and pretty and simply enhanced her natural beauty.

"You are beautiful," he smiled with his quiet voice and refrained from touching her face in fear of spooking her again.

Regina smiled a little wider and cursed the burn in her cheeks as she glanced down at her rose, uncertain of what to do under such a tender gaze, "thank you."

"I am sorry I frightened you, Regina. It was not my intention to-"

"You didn't do anything wrong," she interrupted with a slow shake of her head and looked him in the eye, unhappy to find grief in those green eyes, "I am afraid I may have overreacted just a little."

"No, Regina, if you were frightened then you were frightened, there is no need for such an excuse. I am sorry I scared you."

"You did nothing wrong," she insisted and he sighed through his nose, "it is my own guilt and my own lingering fear in an old wound that had me running from you that morning."

"Regina-"

"No," she cut off his protest quietly with a shake of her head and he frowned and dropped his shoulders, "perhaps one day I will be brave enough to tell you why I have run from you twice," she offered quietly and ignored the curious look he gave her after the word 'twice' and placed the rose carefully on the railing of the balcony, "but it will not be today. It will not be for a long time and I need you to know that. I do not tell the secrets in my heart for I have been hurt too many times to be so carefree...but...I...I..." She swallowed nervously and wrung her hands together to keep her shaking hands busy and avoided his gentle gaze at all costs.

"I would like...to...I miss you..." She settled on quietly, her voice starting to shake with her hands while her heart jumped in to her throat. When he took half a step toward her she shot her eyes up to him and couldn't decide if she should panic or relax at the sight of him smiling. She was mostly panicking.

"I miss you too," he whispered softly so as not to spook her again. He was treading on thin ice and he could see that. She was terrified and she was trying so hard to be brave and he couldn't help but smile at her in adoration of her effort.

"I am not good with matters of the heart," she whispered because that was the only volume she could handle at the time, "I never have been and I doubt I ever will be. My love is my weakness as much as it is my strength. And you...scare the hell out of me."

"Because I may steal your heart?" He questioned quietly and almost hopefully. In response she gave an uneasy smile and a single subtle shake of her head while her voice came out quiet and tight with what he assumed to be the desire to cry.

"You can't steal something that has just been given to you, Locksley," she countered softly and felt her sore heart skip between frantic beats when the corners of his mouth lifted in the smallest smile.

"Well, your majesty," he started softly and his smile began to grow beyond his control, "I must say I have never been given such a beautiful or more valuable gift," he continued quietly and lifted a hand to hold the side of her head. His heart ached with a welcome warmth when she closed her eyes and a single tear rolled down her cheek and her hands were lifted as well so one covered his on her face and the other hung off his wrist. "And I promise to keep it a secret that it was accidentally given," he whispered and she let out a single quiet and tearful laugh.

She breathed out a shaky breath when she felt his lips press lightly against her cheek and then stepped in to him and slid her hands from his hand and wrist and to his neck. She hugged him close around his neck and pushed her face in to the nook where his neck met his shoulder as she took a deep breath and welcomed the smell that overwhelmed her. His arms circled tightly around her middle and as he pressed a kiss to her neck before nuzzling his face in to her, she ran one hand of fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

He felt her relax in to him and in return he did the same and wound his arms even tighter around her small frame. It felt perfect having her back in his arms. He couldn't explain why but it did. Only holding her twice in the entire time that he had known her and he simply knew that that is where she belonged. In his arms and close to his heart.

"Are you going to explain to me why I find it so startlingly easy to care for you?" He whispered curiously as he moved one looped arm a little higher up her back.

"Not today," she answered quietly and smiled softly when he didn't argue.

"Do I get to hold you while I sleep tonight?"

Regina hummed softly through her happy smile and lifted her head from his shoulder and he did the same from hers so she could look him in the eye, "I have no quarrels with that," she shook her head and grinned when he did.

"KISS!"

Both Robin and Regina jumped and gasped at the shout that came from right next to them. Standing next to them wearing an absolutely enormous grin was Roland and the sudden and silent appearance of the boy paired with his request had both adults laughing uneasily under their breath for a moment.

"Kiss her, poppa!" Roland cheered as he jumped up and down on the spot.

Unsure of what boundaries Regina had put in place after her meltdown, Robin made no move to kiss her in fear that he would overstep and cause her to run again. Seeming to sense his uncertainty, Regina leaned in herself and placed a soft kiss to his lips before pulling back a little.

"You needn't ask permission to kiss me, thief," she whispered against his lips for only his ears and smiled brightly when he smiled at her with their faces scant inches apart. Inches apart until he eagerly caught her mouth with his. Roland shrieked in delight and the sound had Regina laughing quietly against Robin's mouth. She smiled even more when he subtly slipped his tongue past her lips for a little taste without Roland's knowledge before he pulled away softly and rested his forehead against hers, the pair of them smiling and laughing quietly as Roland skipped around them singsonging about something regarding their kiss and happiness.

They weren't really listening to him for they were caught up in one another and the odd but incredibly trustworthy sense of protection they felt in each other. And then of course the familiar old flame of love now sparked in their sore hearts. "Remind me to thank Charming later," she whispered and Robin laughed quietly.

"For what?"

"Reasons," she dismissed with a smile before she gave him a quick kiss and then another and then let herself submit to a longer kiss.

...

The next morning no one seemed to notice the queen and the thief walk in to the dining hall with their fingertips gently intertwined. They were too busy with their chatter and their food and their laughter. The dwarves, Granny, Red, Jiminy, Gepetto, Pinocchio, Tinkerbell, Blue, a few other fairies, the Merry Men, Snow, and Charming. All of them enthusiastically forgetting that there was a serious threat just outside the doors of the castle and that Emma and Henry were still lost to them.

Roland ran ahead to the band of Merry Men who cheered at the boy's arrival which had Regina smiling like a fool. Her little finger was hooked around his pointer finger and he followed her happily without argument. She only let go of him to take a place at the long table across from Snow and Charming and next to Granny and she was giddy to have Robin sit right close to her. He straddled the bench they sat on and looped his arms around her waist to pull her in to him and rest his chin on her shoulder and she could not wipe the girlish grin off her face no matter how hard she tried.

She didn't fight him, she simply turned her head to look at him and he laid a soft kiss on her shoulder which had her smiling even more. Feeling someone's eyes on her, Regina moved only her eyes and quickly met Snow's curious and joyous gaze. Regina simply let the corners of her mouth curl a little higher in greeting before she moved her eyes back to Robin who was smiling at her with his chin on her shoulder and his arms still around her waist.

"You are beautiful," he whispered and she smiled happily which had him smiling right back.

"Thank you."

"And you are mine."

"Indeed," she smiled and he breathed out a single laugh with his brilliant smile, kissing her cheek when she straightened her neck to look at the arrangement of food before them. The affection had her smiling like a damned fool but she found she didn't care.

"Hold up!" Grumpy announced loudly and when everyone fell silent he pointed to Regina with a grin, "did I just see the outlaw give you a kiss, your majesty?!"

"I don't know, did you?" She smirked with an eyebrow raised as she plucked a grape from its bundle.

"I believe I did!" He laughed and then jumped up on the bench so he stood taller, "I think I need to see that again! A proper kiss this time!"

"I agree!" Tinkerbell laughed as she too stood up on her seat on the bench. When neither Regina or Robin moved to kiss the other, Grumpy and Tink began chanting slowly and it wasn't long before everyone started joining them, "kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" Soon there was the pounding of fists on the table as well in time with the chanted words that grew louder and louder and faster and faster.

"Alright! Alright!" Robin laughed but the chanting didn't stop until he took Regina's head between his hands and kissed her long and slow, easing away her discomfort regarding the demand of those around her. she smiled against him and he smiled against her as various hollers, cheers, and whistles were sounded off from everyone around them. When he broke the kiss the volume of everyone's voices only increased but he only had ears for Regina's quiet laughter. Giving her one more quick kiss, he let go of her head and rested his head back on her shoulder.

Regina closed her eyes and laughed quietly through her teeth as Robin nuzzled in to the side of her neck and his stubble tickled her soft skin. When she opened her eyes she leaned her head against his for a moment before lifting it back up and taking a grape between her teeth from her fingers. The first eyes she met were Snow's once again and she had her hands up over her wide grin and Regina swore that if those were tears in her bright hazel eyes she may just have to strangle her. Then there was David who was smiling pleasantly at her in approval and perhaps a little bit of pride.

Then her eyes travelled to the other end of the table where an eruption of laughter was heard due to Tinkerbell gloating to a rather unimpressed Blue. Regina couldn't help herself. She laughed along, however quietly, but laughed nonetheless and heard Robin's quiet laughter against her ear as well.

For the first time in a long time she was inexplicably happy and for the first time in a long time she truly believed that everything was going to be alright.


End file.
